[Jaedah's Mirror] Better Late then Never...(Val)

[Heartbreaker]

OOC: Continued from the original Jaedah's Mirror thread

A simple brush of the hand was all it took for the Mirror to activate. The scenery before Valanthia melted away and within moments, new surroundings created themselves in front of her. The whole process should have been frightening…but oddly enough, a sense of calm came over her.

Jaedaxia was a very odd place.

She found herself in the middle of a small wood, filled with a riot of color from the differing varieties of trees and flowers. To add to the beauty, a sapphire brook ran through the area, supplying nutrients to the rich plant life of the area.

While she was well aware that this was –not- the place she had started, the area had a feel of peace about it that was hard to describe. Perhaps it wasn’t necessary to understand or describe….just to be within it was enough.

After a few moments, a voice spoke from beside the woman….a person she had not noticed before.

“ There are few places on Telath that can match the natural beauty found her in Jaedaxia. Some come close…but there is a peace here that I find unmatched elsewhere. Obviously, I’m a little biased.”

If Val allowed her gaze to wander, she would find herself standing next to a young woman…16 patterns or so by looks. She had a soft smile on her face, gazing and appreciating the beauty around them.

[Valanthia L'Evienne]

Well that was unexpected.

One minute she was admiring Jaedaxienne taste in obelisks, and the next, she was standing in a forest of some sort. Additionally, she could neither see nor sense Umbrosus; for the first time in a long while, she seemed to be completely alone. It occurred to Val that this ought to be cause for some concern, but there was something about this place, a certain kind of peacefulness, that seemed to obviate the need for anxiety.

Her thoughts were broken by a voice off to her side. She looked over, a bit startled, and saw a girl not that much less mature than her. The girl was smiling, which Val thought was a bit unusual, given that strangers rarely smiled at people who were obviously part-vysstichi. For a second, Val didn't say anything. Her eyes wandered from the girl to the trees and the stream, and then back again.

"Are we...are we still in Jaedaxia then?" Val's voice was quiet and deferential. "I...that is, I'm not sure exactly how I got here." She gave a helpless shrug. "I was in an ice-sculpture garden. There was an...an obelisk." Normally, Val would have been panicking at this point, but the aura of calm that permeated the place was preventing that. As such, she simply shrugged again.

"My name..." Her voice trickled away into the sound of the brook. She was traveling under her assumed name, but if this was some kind of...well, something supernatural, maybe it was best not to lie to whoever was here, no matter how nonthreatening they looked. "My name's Valanthia."

[Heartbreaker]

The girl continued to smile…taking in what Valanthia said and nodding her head in response.

“We are in the wood outside of Jaedaxia…and yes, you were in the Ice Gardens at the Mirror, which brought you here. It is a pleasure to meet you, Valanthia. My name is Maris and I welcome you. “

Looking off into the distance, she paused for a moment…as if reaching for the correct words. Sometimes it wasn’t easy to start these types of exchanges…but at least Valanthia wasn’t making it difficult in the least.

“ While many of us don’t understand exactly what the Mirror is, it seems to sense inner conflict within one and then transport them…or part of them at least, to a person that might be able to help…if that makes any sense. Sometimes it’s a little hard for us to grasp as well but we try our best.”

Taking a few steps and motioning Val to join her, she padded along a small path through the wilderness.

[Valanthia L'Evienne]

At this rate, Val was going to hit all of the enchanted mirrors in the Empire before too long. But what Maris said at least made the situation a little more understandable. Val nodded respectfully, and quickly followed her along the path.

"It's...it's a pleasure to meet you too, Maris," she said. Certainly, her new companion seemed to be kindly, and that was a comfort to her as much as the aura of peace was. She was silent for a moment, and then abruptly added, "If...if you don't mind my asking -- or if you can answer -- who's 'we,' exactly?" The question was not asked impolitely. It was followed by a laugh, but not a laugh that conveyed any kind of cheerfulness. "I haven't...haven't got any shortage of internal conflict," she said, the words sounding almost apologetic.

Admittedly, Val hadn't been paying a whole lot of attention during her trip to Jaedaxia, but she didn't remember to have traveled through anywhere that looked quite like this forest. The girl wondered if this was simply a place on the other side of the city, or whether this was some place in the past, or the future, or something that was out of time altogether. It didn't seem like the time to ask, though.

Val looked over at Maris again, and wondered who the girl really was -- whether she was some kind of magical creature in a girl's form, or simply the teenager that she appeared to be. Perhaps more to the point, Val was curious as to how Maris could help her. This would appear in time, however, and so the girl said nothing else. It was better not to be impatient in these sorts of circumstances.

[Heartbreaker]

The girl continued to smile and exchange pleasant gazes at Val while she became accustom to the surroundings. Her questions were normal ones and expected…

…at least –something- was in Jaedaxia. Pretty city…very strange.

And that was something that the little girl believed Val and Jaedaxia had in common…and why her coming to the city was such a good thing.

“ You can call me Maris..and I’m not sure how to explain ‘we’. As you are gathering, Jaedaxia is a rather odd place. An odd place filled with people with odd abilities. However, I feel that you could relate well to my city. If I close my eyes, I can feel all the subtle nuances floating about…the goodness and light…but also the dark elements lurking in the shadows…the mystery and intrigue….and some danger too….the culture and fire of the Jaedaxians, and the sadness. It’s all rolled into one and sometimes very overwhelming. I think maybe the Mirror sensed something like that in you and was curious. However, it’s just a guess.”

Sometimes, it was best to introduce information and let the person interpret it however they wanted.

[Valanthia L'Evienne]

Val wasn't entirely sure what to make of this information, but she nodded carefully nonetheless. She hadn't really considered that she and the city might have a kinship, but some of the adjectives that Maris used certainly struck a chord within her.

"If the...if the Mirror is curious...what would it like me to do?" she asked softly. The girl had no idea what sort of answer to expect to the question. From what she had seen thus far, she'd be willing to bet that the Mirror and its unnamed coterie were at the least benign, and perhaps even benevolent, but this mere fact didn't give her any better of an idea as to what its purpose or motivations might be.

"I feel like I should know more than...well, than I do," she said, and from the way she said it, one might have guessed that Val felt like this fact was somehow her fault. "You're certainly being...patient with me." There was a slightly sad smile that accompanied the statement, as if patience from others wasn't something that Val was entirely used to.

She had no idea what else to say, so she simply walked along in silence, following Maris' lead, trying to absorb her surroundings and make some sense of what was going on. She still felt peaceful, however, and this was no small gift.

[Heartbreaker]

The little girl gave Val a knowing smile…which was amusing and beautiful at the same time. The thing that would strike the young woman more then anything was her ancient eyes…like she had seen more then someone of her tender age should.

But then again, Val was more then well aware that looks could be deceiving.

Skipping along with her new friend, Maris considered the question and replied in a sing-song sort of voice…the one young girls liked to use when they were feeling particularly goofy.

“ You aren’t supposed to do anything…anything other then talk with me. Perhaps walk a little bit.”

Grinning, she stopped and settled down for a moment.

“Truly, the Mirror has already looked within you and only seeks to help you resolve the issues that plague your soul. If you know what they are, we can talk about them…or just walk and perhaps the answers will come to you.”

The next comment Val said cause a series of giggles from the little girl.

“ You aren’t yelling at me or threatening bodily harm. Why would I not be patient? You most certainly are one of the most accepting of your situation that I’ve crossed. You just have to open your mind to the possibilities. Jaedaxia is a very open place…a very accepting place….well, mostly. The Mirror…well….-mirrors- that sentiment and characteristic….and offers its help to all in need."

[Valanthia L'Evienne]

Val thought about that for a moment. It seemed clear to her, regardless of Maris' girlish demeanor, that there was something about her new acquaintance that went beyond the ordinary. Just how far beyond, however, was something that she couldn't say.

"Erm...well, maybe we could...see how much I need to explain?" she began hesitantly. "Like I said, my name's Valanthia. Valanthia...L'Evienne. The Regent is my brother. Half-brother." She waited a moment to see what sort of reaction this elicited from Maris before continuing.

"Also...do you know about the Sanguine? That's going to...going to take some explaining if you don't." The smile that followed the statement was a rueful one. She hadn't bothered to explain it fully even to some of her better friends -- it was simply too complex a thing.

One foot followed the other, and Val briefly looked down at her shoes. Open and accepting weren't words she thought about very often -- as a half-vysstichi, she rarely encountered either trait in others. She wondered again about the Mirror, what it was, and what possibilities it had within it to which she would need to open her mind. No answers immediately came to her. Maris seemed to be in no hurry to tell her what to do; perhaps things simply had to unfold, rather than be shown to her right away. Not the way Val liked doing things, but she was willing for once to be a little patient -- the peacefulness of the place was perhaps rubbing off on her.

"I could ask more questions, but...but perhaps it's better to start there." She raised her gaze again so that she was focused on Maris. Val resisted the temptation to say anything else; better to wait for answers before asking more questions...

[Heartbreaker]

The little girl grinned softly, nodded her head at the young woman.

“I’ve met your brother, actually. A little misadventure I cooked up for him and the Imperial Admiral or something like that. I like him very much, in fact. I think he is a very good leader for the Empire. He’s not caught up in his own self-importance.”

Shrugging her shoulder, she got back to the matter at hand.

“Sanguine? I fear that is not something I know about. If it doesn’t have anything to do with Jaedaxia, it is usually beyond my scope of knowledge. However, I would enjoy listening to you explain it to me. I like learning about new things.”

She had a thirst of knowledge quite unparallel in others…especially others of her apparent age, even though both of them were aware that appearances were deceiving in this particular case. There was -much- more to the girl then she let on…but that wasn’t really all that important at the moment.

[Valanthia L'Evienne]

"You know my brother?" Well, Milo hadn't told Val about all of his adventures, Val rationalized, any more than she had told him about all of hers. Still, the knowledge that he and Maris had already met was still rather surprising to her. Nonetheless, she smiled at Maris' assessment of him -- it was, Val rather thought, an accurate one.

"The Sanguine..." For a moment, Val was almost torn as to whether to complete the thought or not. But once again, she was struck by the feeling that she could trust Maris. The girl rarely made decisions based on the way she felt about things, but in this instance, she overcame her reservations.

"A long time ago -- thousands of eras -- there was...a library. The Krevion. It was in...the Khardran Mountains, near where Aelyria Prime is. It was...the largest repository of information on Telath. And, like any good library, it had librarians. The Keepers."

The memories of the event were still painful to her, and without really thinking about it, she closed her eyes. "The Keepers weren't...they stopped being good at their job. There was an attack. The Krevion was...destroyed. Looted. People died. Lots of people."

"The remaining Keepers...had a ceremony. A wonderful, terrible ceremony. The people who had stolen the information were...the information actually entered them. Into their blood, and the blood of...of their children. And the only way to get it out was...was to kill them. And that became the Keepers' task -- to kill the...kill the thieves. The Keepers became the Sanguine...the bloody ones." Her voice shook, and she bit her lip.

"I was there, Maris." She opened her eyes, and the expression in them was one of clear, unadulterated pain. "I was...I was a Keeper. A young one, like I am now, but a Keeper nonetheless. And when the Krevion fell...I died. I remember it."

"All of us...keep coming back until our task is finished. Some of us are...are people, and some of us are Virkyn. Thinking, telepathic canines. Each of us has one, is...bonded to one. I can see what he sees...feel what he feels. Before...before the Sundering, he..." Her voice finally broke. "He was my fiancee."

She couldn't say any more yet, not without crying, and she really didn't want to burst into tears. But telling the story always hurt, perhaps the more so because she told it so infrequently.

[Heartbreaker]

The girl listened very carefully to the story. It was complex and interesting, but she felt the pain it caused Val to retell. Instinctively, she gently took the girl’s hand and squeezed it softly. At once, without explanation, Val felt a soothing warmth flooding through her body. It wasn’t an intoxication…but more a warm, cozy, relaxing feeling. While it didn’t take away all the pain, it -did- manage to make her feel somewhat….separated….from it. Removed.

Sometimes, things were like that. It took a bit of additional strength to allow people to work through those feelings and issues within them. In essence, that was what the Mirror was all about: Allowing people the chance to confront that which plagued them in a safe environment.

She felt the need to remain silent but found that she couldn’t. She wanted to give Val a chance to regroup herself before she began speaking again. Through it all, however, she admired the girl’s inner strength in coming to terms with something that caused so many deep feelings.

“ It sounds like a horrible thing that happened to you. How does it make you feel…knowing this burden that is upon you? Are there people that you trust that you can talk to about this…or lean on when you need to…or have you been shouldering this all yourself?”

She needed to know what support the girl had….and what she needed. That was very important to her.

[Valanthia L'Evienne]

Val inhaled sharply as the feeling of warmth came over her. It was...pleasant, and while that didn't make her inner conflict any less unpleasant, it at least gave her a bit more control over her emotions.

"How do I feel?" Val wasn't used to thinking of that particular question. "Erm...conflicted? I...I made the choice to come back and help. I remember it. I...well, I decided to do what I...what I could for...for the people I'd lived with and loved. But we were...we weren't entirely innocent. Nor, I suppose...am I." The sadness in her gray eyes was easily apparent. "I'm not...not a killer by nature, Maris. But whoever the next person I send to Jalat is...won't be the first. Or the second."

The girl bit her lip and pondered the rest of Maris' question. "Erm...I have my bondmate, Umbrosus. My brother is always...always nice to me, though I hate troubling him...he's sort of busy." She laughed ruefully. "Nikki too -- do you know Nikki? -- even if we...we don't see much of each other. I don't...for whatever reason...I'm still learning to...fit? with the other Sanguine." She remembered each racial epithet that had been hurled at her by the Sanguine during the Zali'mau; they stung particularly deeply given that everyone there knew perfectly well that she was only half-vysstichi by accident of this lifetime's birth.

There was probably more to say, but Val didn't know just at the moment what it might be. She looked down at her travel-worn shoes again, took one step, then another, then another. It took an awful lot of self-control -- and a deep respect for the power of magic mirrors -- for her to be able to have this conversation with a stranger at all, and she did have to stop and regroup periodically.

[Heartbreaker]

The little girl squeezed her hand gently, letting Val know that she was still there, listening and supporting her. It was a difficult situation that she was in and the girl had empathy. People made their way in life…made choices that sometimes they regretted. It sounded like Val had made a choice, even though it wasn’t exactly something she -desired- to do, but fell into the category of -had- to do.

Those were the toughest choices of all.

She had an idea…something that would perhaps make things easier on the girl…but it would have to wait for a bit. She wanted to talk with Val a little more and make sure that she hadn’t done more damage then good in making her dredge up all these memories and thoughts.

“ I’ve not met a “Nikki”…but I -do- know your brother…and I can assure you that he would -want- you to tell him what is bothering you. Family is different. He -may- be busy but I’m very sure that he is concerned about your welfare. Don’t deny him the right to care about you. Don‘t deny anyone that right. You need all the support you can get.“

[Valanthia L'Evienne]

"Nikki's my sister," Val said, her voice almost a whisper. Then she had to smile, at least a little. Maris sounded exactly like Milo, the way she talked about family. Her brother was always and forever telling her that her wanted to help her, just because he was her brother; Val wasn't interested in taking advantage of him, but the similarity between him and her new...acquaintance didn't go unnoted.

"I...I do what I can." Val wasn't even sure what she meant by that, but it was all that she had to offer at the moment. She was suddenly aware that she was very tired, very tired indeed, and though she didn't yet know precisely what to make of Maris, she was glad of the girl's company anyway, as well as the pleasantness of the idyllic situation. She had grown accustomed to Umbrosus flitting around the edges of her thoughts, and despite her innate love of solitude, it somehow felt...empty without him.

Val opened her mouth as if she were going to say something else, but nothing but a sigh escaped her lips. Even now, a fair amount of time after she had become Sanguine, she wasn't entirely comfortable with her direction, didn't know what it entailed exactly. She was strangely uncomfortable in her own skin, and though it wasn't a new feeling for her, that didn't mean she had gotten used to it exactly.

[Heartbreaker]

Maris watched Val with wide eyes, almost seemingly as if she was reading her mind..or trying to. Smiling, she took her hand and without a word, led her through the wood. Where she was headed to wasn’t far….and sure enough, a small cabin appeared in the very next clearing the pair came to. Opening the door, Val would find them in a cozy little place…complete with a large, well appointed bed, a few tables…chairs…kitchen supplies…everything necessary to live for a few days. Smiling up at her, she led her to the bed.

“ You are tired…tis time to lay down and dream for a while.”

However, Val didn’t have time to respond before she fell into a deep sleep…facilitated by Maris’ small hand waving before her. Val’s body landed on the bed and after a time, the little girl was able to push the rest of her body upon the lush mattress.

Val needed some rest…and education.

…

Within her dreams, she was conscious of what had happened….falling asleep in the cabin…but it didn’t seem important at the moment. What she was acutely aware of is that there was no one within the edges of her consciousness….no voices..

She was alone.

Val was also with the knowledge that she had no family…no friends…no….nothing.

She was truly alone.

….
It was time for her to learn to appreciate what she had….